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"Unfortunately, renaming the Type 26 the Ďglobal combat shipí does not actually make it any more Ďglobalí or combat-effective than either its Type 23 predecessors or its foreign competitors. The GCS is merely the latest conservative and expensive frigate design to come down the BAE- Royal Navy turnpike, one that is as likely to be an export flop as every major British warship design has been since the Leander class frigates of the 1970s."

Meanwhile, the RFA has taken delivery of the new generation of Fleet tanker.

The UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary‚Äôs Tide Class Tankers Delivered, Powered by GE
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Maritime News
Naval
The UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary‚Äôs Tide Class Tankers Delivered, Powered by GE
By Milton Stuards, November 21, 2017, Naval
GE Delivered Its Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System to the U.K. Royal Fleet Auxiliary‚Äôs Fleet of Four Tide Class Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Tankers
GE‚Äôs System Allows the Fleet to Achieve Increased Fuel Efficiency and Operational Flexibility
The Project Reinforces the Trend That More Navies are Turning to the Flexibility of Hybrid Vessels
GE‚Äôs Marine Solutions (NYSE: GE) has recently successfully delivered its electrical power and propulsion system to the U.K. Royal Fleet Auxiliary‚Äôs (RFA) fleet of four Tide class Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) tankers, which will deliver fuel and water to Royal Navy vessels around the world.
‚ÄúAs the next-generation class of large, fleet tankers, the Tide class replaces old single-hulled tankers and will enhance the Royal Navy‚Äôs overall maritime capability,‚ÄĚ said Commodore Duncan Lamb RFA, head of Afloat Support.
As part of the hybrid propulsion configuration‚ÄĒdiesel engines coupled with electric motors‚ÄĒGE‚Äôs technology enables the tankers to advance at the most efficient form of propulsion for each operational scenario.
Designed for fuel efficiency, GE‚Äôs electric motor can provide power to the propellers in addition to the propulsion diesel engine, which is used when higher speeds are needed. It can also conversely harness the power from the engine shaft to generate electricity and power the electric equipment on board when the tanker operates at moderate or low speeds.
Using an electric propulsion motor powered by the ship‚Äôs generating sets to run the propeller can save fuel, reduce emissions and reduce maintenance costs of the main engines since the generating sets are running to meet other electrical needs on the vessel.
In addition to the design and engineering of the propulsion system, GE was also responsible for the commissioning of the GE-supplied equipment and training to the RFA for the switchboards and drives at its world-class Marine Power Test Facility in the U.K.
‚ÄúOur power and propulsion systems for the Tide class tankers are designed for flexibility and fuel efficiency. This project is a prime example of how GE‚Äôs technology meets the navy‚Äôs stringent logistics and operational requirements,‚ÄĚ said Andy McKeran, general manager, GE‚Äôs Marine Solutions. ‚ÄúGE is a trusted partner to the RFA and Royal Navy, and our collaborations span from our first power electronic hybrid electric warship with the pioneering Type 23 class that came into service in the 1990s through to the full electric solutions on the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers and now the very latest in hybrid drives for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship.‚ÄĚ
‚ÄúSimilar to the hybrid and electric cars, we have seen an increase in the number of the world‚Äôs navies using hybrid propulsion systems for enhanced fuel efficiency, and GE pioneered this innovation starting in the ‚Äô90s.‚ÄĚ said Azeez Mohammed, president & CEO, GE‚Äôs Power Conversion business. ‚ÄúIn the very near future, navy operations will also be enhanced through our digital solutions. Driven by data, navies will be able to make more informed decisions, reduce excessive maintenance and predict failure before it occurs, staying mission-ready.‚ÄĚ
Source: GE

I see that the Type 26 is being promoted as a solution to Canada's quest for a CSC to replace the Halifax and Iroquois class (Some of whom have already become the main subject of a Sinkex).

Will be stiff competition, up against already tried and tested designs, such as De Zeven Provinci√ęn class, FREMM multipurpose frigate, Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate and other designs that have the advantage of already having hulls in the water.

German 1: Private Schnutz, I have bad news for you.
German 2: Private? I am a general!
German 1: That is the bad news.

I see that the Type 26 is being promoted as a solution to Canada's quest for a CSC to replace the Halifax and Iroquois class (Some of whom have already become the main subject of a Sinkex).

Will be stiff competition, up against already tried and tested designs, such as De Zeven Provinci√ęn class, FREMM multipurpose frigate, Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate and other designs that have the advantage of already having hulls in the water.

Think the FREMM design got disqualified from the process for trying to go to the politicians to promote it.

HMS Forth
Construction on HMS Forth began in October 2014 and she was accepted into the Royal Navy in February 2018. As we have reported on, soon after commissioning in April serious faults were discovered with here electrical system and sheared bolts were discovered with heads that had been glued back on. The ship has was quickly handed back to the care and maintenance of BAES and she has remained alongside the South West Wall in Portsmouth since. A thorough assessment of her material state and a plan for rectifications took a considerable time. 12,000 separate checks of systems had to be made but repairs are now nearly complete and she is on track to be handed back to the RN in November. Sea trials and then operational training will take place in the new year before she is permanently deployed to the Falklands to relieve HMS Clyde. Fortunately, the delays to HMS Forth have not had a huge impact on the RN as HMS Clyde has simply had her service extended by a few months.

Commenting on the issues with HMS Forth, Anderson Smith, BAES Commercial Director ‚Äď Naval Ships, told Shephard Media, ‚ÄúThere were a lot of minor defects and we hold our hands up to that‚Ä¶ the OPV programme was about the regeneration of shipbuilding capability on the Clyde‚Ä¶ In due course we can look back at it the positives, although it doesn‚Äôt feel like it at the minute if I‚Äôm looking at it from either a customer or a sales perspective, it found we had some shortfalls in some of our processes. We have now fixed them‚ÄĚ

The problems with HMS Forth were a serious embarrassment for BAES, especially in the latter stages of its drive to sell the Type 26 design to Australia and Canada (fortunately ultimately successful). The quality control failures can be explained in part by the recent history of the Govan yard where she was built. HMS Forth was the first whole ship completed since HMS Duncan in 2012. In the intervening period, the yard worked on hull blocks for the QEC aircraft carriers. Although the blocks were complex in themselves, the systems integration, setting to work, testing and ultimate quality control was carried out in Rosyth where the ships were assembled. BAES has worked hard to introduce a greater focus on quality control and adjust to building complete ships again. The failures constructing HMS Forth are not easy to forgive but there is a definite benefit of sorts. Mistakes with an OPV are far easier to remedy than mistakes with Type 26 frigate construction. Lessons learned working on the OPVs will benefit the same workers who are moving straight on to the much more complex frigates.
HMS Medway
Construction on HMS Medway was started in June 2015 and she was named at a ceremony in Scotstoun where she has been fitting out since. After the problems emerged with HMS Forth, the ship was also very thoroughly checked. A single glued bolt head was discovered and other minor issues have been addressed. She will very shortly begin sea trials with a mixed Royal Navy and civilian crew off the west coast of Scotland.

HMS Trent
HMS Trent was laid down in Sept 2015. In March 2018 she was formally named in a unique ceremony while the ship was still out of the water outside the construction hall in Govan. She was subsequently floated out and towed to Scotstoun where she is currently being fitted out.

Tamar
Work began on HMS Tamar in Dec 2016 and she was floated out in early October 2018. With Medway and Trent already at Scotstoun, Tamar is being fitted out in the dock adjacent to the Govan yard. (Main image above) Her naming ceremony will probably take place in March 2019. It is interesting to note that by selecting the name ‚ÄúTamar‚ÄĚ it seems unlikely the RN would then name one of the Type 26 frigates ‚ÄúHMS Plymouth‚ÄĚ, as many have called for.

Spey
Construction of the final ship, HMS Spey began in Apr 2017. She is structurally complete and currently in the build hall at Govan under wraps undergoing the paint process which involves the application of five separate coats. She is scheduled to follow close behind Tamar with her naming ceremony planned for mid 2019.

German 1: Private Schnutz, I have bad news for you.
German 2: Private? I am a general!
German 1: That is the bad news.